Continuous recording-seal and door-fastener



(ModeL) 4 Sheets-Sheet 1.

. G. J. FERGUSON.

CONTINUOUS RECORDING SEAL AND DOOR FASTENER. No. 360,285; Patented Mar. 29, 1887.

WITNES V Nat/ ATTORNEYS.

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(Model!) 4 Sheets-Sheet 2. G. J. FERGUSON.

GONTINUOUS RECORDING SEAL AND DOOR FAST'ENER.

No. 360,285. Patented Mar. 29, '1887.

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4 Sheets-Sheet 3? '(ModeL) .G.. J. FERGUSON.

GONTINUOUS RECORDING SEAL AND DOOR FASTENER.

Patented Mar. 29, 1887.

INVHNTOR 95 m ATTORNEYS. g

(ModeL) y 4 SheetsSheet 4.

G. J. FERGUSON.

CONTINUOUS RECORDING SEAL AND DOOR FASTENER. No. 360,285. Patented Mar. 29, 1887.

ATTORNEYS.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE J. FERGUSON, OF GREENVILLE, TEXAS, ASSIGNOR OF ONEEIGHTH TO EDWIN F. STAHL AND SAMUEL BRANTHOFFER, OF SAME PLACE, AND ALMER L. DOVVNER, ()F PITTSBURG, TEXAS.

CONTINUOUS RECORDING-SEAL AND DOOR-FASTENER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 360,285, dated March 29, 1887.

I Application filed June 3, 1886. Serial No. 204,054. (ModeL) To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Gnonen JoNEs FER- GUSON, of Greenville, in the county of Hunt and State. of Texas, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Continuous Recording-Seal and Door-Fastener, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple means of fastening, sealing, and cleat- 1 ing or closing the crack of a car or other sliding or hinged door, which fastening, sealing, and cleating are accomplished by a single movement of a lever, and at the same time the initial and number of the car or name or numher of any door or gate will be impressed on the seal paper slip each time said door or gate is fastened, positively showinghow many times said door has been opened since the seal-slip was applied, said sealer recording every time the door was fastened, every time it was unfastened, and every time it was opened.

-In the drawings, Figure 1 is a partial side view of a car-body, the part A being the slid- 2 ing door and B the side of the car, carrying guide-rails O O at the top and bottom, upon which the door slides, the said door being shown closed and locked. Fig. 2 is asimilar View with the door opened and unlocked. Fig.

3 is an inside view of the face-plate D of the lock. Fig. 4 is an outside view of the lockplate, just behind plate D, Fig. 3, the faces of the two plates shown in Figs. 3 and 4 being adjacent to each other. Fig. 5 is an enlarged 3 5 horizontal section through the line as w of Figs.

3 and 4, and also through the car-door and side of the car. Figs. 6 and 7 are enlarged Views in perspective of the same parts shown in Figs. 3 and 4. Fig. 8 is a sectional detail 0 showing the connection of the operating-lever with the hook-bolt and cleater or closing-stri p I for the crack of the door. Fig. 9 is a detail view in perspective of a rowel-wheel for traversing and marking the paper slip of the seal.

Fig. 10 is a side view of one of the fasteninghooks for holding the car-door securely closed. Fig. 11 is a perspective View of a modification.

Fig. 12 is a vertical section, and Fig.

13 a side view, of the paper slip andcarryingframe. Fig. 14 shows a modified application of the invention to hinged doors. Figs. 15 and 16 represent the tool or stamp in perspective and end elevation, respectively.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, A represents the horizontally-sliding car-door. B is the side of the car. and O O are the horizontal guide-rails at the top and bottom of the car, in which the sliding door travels in opening and closing.

To the edge of the car'door is attached the seal lock-frame, composed of an outer plate, D, and a frame, D, Fig. 5, which latter is fitted into the plane of the door. In this lookframe, upon a fulcrum-pin, j, Figs. 1 and 2, is hung a single operating-lever, E, the manipulation of which simultaneously works the seal mechanism within frame D D, and also the fastening devices which hold the door closed and the devices for tightly closing the crack of the door against theingress of sparks of fire, rain, or snow. WVhen this lever is in its lower position, as in Fig. 1, the car-door is closed and locked, and when in the position shown in Fig. 2 it is unlocked. To secure the lever when locked, it is formed with a hole, I), which is adapted to register with a 7 hole, I), in an offset, a, from the lock-frame, and when said holes are in registration, as in Fig. 1, a hook or pin attached to chain c is passed through said registering-holes, and may be there secured by the usual wire-and-lead 8o seals.

I will first describe the means whereby the lever E is made to lock or fasten the car-door, and afterward the means for sealing the same.

In the lever E, near its fulcrum, Figs. 1, 2, 6, and 8, is formed an elongated hole, 6, through which projects the arm G of a hook-bolt, F, which latter is fulcrumed on a pin, r, on frame D, Figs. 5 and 7, which projects parallel with the car, so that the hook-bolt F operates in a 0 plane at right angles to the car. This hook F, when thrown inward to the car by the downward movement of the lever E, passes through a slotin and hooks under and around the plate D on the car-body, as shown in Fig. 9 5 5 and in dotted lines in Fig. 8, and when in,

this position it will be seen that said hook-V bolt F both prevents the car-door A from being slid parallel with the car and holds the door to and, prevents it from falling away from the car. The hook-bolt F has a fixed fulcrum, r, and its side opposite the arm G is (see Fig. 8) connected to a link, H, whose upper end is jointed to a sheet-metal plate, I, that runs along the vertical edge of the car-door from top to bottom. This platelhas diagonal slots J, through which pass stationary headed guidepins K, so that when the hook F is projected into the dotted and locked position links H force the plate I up, while diagonal slot J and guide-pins K cause it in this upward motion to be projected inwardly to the car, and said plateI enters a narrow vertical groove, L, Fig. 5, formed on plate D", and makes a cleated joint that prevents the ingress of sparks of fire, rain, or snow, the former of which is a source of considerable risk when the car is loaded with cotton or other inflammable or combustible material, and the latter of which is objectionable in depreciating many kinds of goods affected by water. "his arrangement avoids the necessity of mutilating the car-door by nailing strips along the crack, which is resorted to to secure the same result. Thisgroove L may be lined with rubber or fabric in order to make a close tight joint. The passage of the plate I into this groove, in addition to closing the crack of the door, also co-operates in looking it, as at its upper end, Fig. 10, it is made to lift upon a link, H, and cause another hook, F, to look into a slot in the car. This form of locking-hook, it will be seen, not only prevents the sliding movement of the door, but in case the guide-rails O O of the car are damaged by collision said hooks still hold the door to the car and prevent it from falling outwardly. In order to permit these lock-bolts to be utilized and operated simultaneously on both edges of the car-door, they may be arranged in pairs and rigidly attached to opposite ends of a rockshaft, as in Fig. 11, which rock -shaft runs through or parallel with the car-door from edge to edge, the hookson its opposite ends being adapted to simultaneously enter locking-recesses in the edges of the car-body.

I will now describe how the motion of the lever seals the lock simultaneously with the locking of the door.

Referring to Figs. 3 and 6, the lever E carries inside of the plate D, to which it is fulcrumed, a spring-pawl, E, which in the oscillation of said lever is adapted to intermittently rotate a pinion, E, which on the other side of its axis engages with the teeth of a vertical sliding seal-rack, E, whose lower end has a horizontally-projecting arm slitted or having a narrow vertical channel in the same, Figs. 12 and 13, through which a strip of paper, 1?, or analogous material is passed and wound upon itself and then extended vertically alongside the rack, so that the charactors or impression thereon may show through the glass window d d, Fig. 1. To protect the window from accidental breakage, transverse guard-ribs d (Z are formed with the plate D, which prevent contact with the glass. To control the motion of the vertical sliding sealrack E a spring-detent, E, bears against the rack-teeth and only yields to the pull of the lever, E, while a spring-detent, E also engages with the teeth of the pinion E and permits the said pinion to be moved only in one direction and the vertical sliding seal-rack to move only in downward direction. Now,when the lever E is brought down fromthe position shown in dotted lines, Fig. 3, its pawl E" engages with the teeth of the pinion and turns it a short distance, and-its motion brings down the vertical sliding seal-rack E and the attached paper slip a corresponding distance. When the lever E is raised, its spring-pawl E passes over the teeth of the pinion and has no effect thereon. It will .be seen, therefore, that the action of the lever E is made to give an intermittent progressive movement to a slip of paper to bring a fresh portion of the same into position for the printing, punching, or stamping devices to mark the impressions thereon, which may be successively recorded at the different stations or points of inspection along the road. The same action of bringing the lever E down to lock the car and adjust the paper is, after having adjusted the paper, made to make the impression thereon as follows: In the frame D, Fig. 5, is arranged a lever, D upon a fulcrum, m, havinga vertical axis. One end of the lever has an arm, ii, that is forced outside of frame D by the pressure of spring D behind it, while the other end of the lever bears a type-block or impression-seal, Z, that is adapted to fit the reverse impression-block Z, carried on the inner face of plate D, and between which two impression-faces the paper slip P is disposed. Now, when lever E is brought down to lock the car it first adjusts the paper. and then a cam-surface, e, on said lever strikes arm h of lever D and, forcing it in against spring D causes the impression-block to advance against and print or impress the initial and number of the car on the paper.

To record each opening of the car-door the plate D on the car is formed with a recess, D, Fig. 5, having an inclined side, and in this, when the door is closed, rests the bent end of an arm, D, which is pivoted inside of the frame D on the car-door. The bend of this arm is held in the recess D by the same spring D that coacts with lever D On the bent end of the lever is mounted orjointed a punch-pin, q, which is guided through a perforated bracket, 19, on the outer plate, D, and

the hole in which is immediately opposite the and the ping is made to punch a hole in the paper, thus giving an ineffacable mark on the paper slip of the opening of thecar, and the bent projecting end of lever D* will keep the door clear of the side of the car, and thereby prevent it from scratching or defacing such side.

In order that the party authorized to open the car in transit may put his mark on the slip, a hole, f, irregular in contour, is formed in the outer plate, D, immediately in front of a rubber cushion, 0, and between which cushion and the front plate, D, the paper slip rests, and through this hole f the stationkeeper impresses his mark upon the paper slip by a portable tool or stamp, 10, which is car ried in his pocket. This tool or stamp 10 is irregular in cross-section, as shown in Figs. 15 and 16, to correspond to the contour of aperturef, so that the key, tool, or stamp can only be inserted when it is right side up.

The paper slip and the vertical sliding sealrack E are together entered into the case through a hinged cap, R, at the top, and are capable of being pulled downwardly and out through the lower open end of the plate D, the detents E and E permitting this to be done at any time the door is unfastened, and for this purpose a tool in the nature of a long slender hook is inserted through the open lower end of the plate D, and a hold thus obtained on the horizontal arm of the vertical sliding seal-rack for pulling it out.

To ascertain whether the paper strip has passed down once, or more than once, a rowelwheel, 71., Figs. 9 and 7, consisting of a sharpedged disk,with or without a character-wheel beside it, is arranged in a frame, a, which has a spring, a, to render it spring-seated, and the wheel and case isinsertedin a chamber in the frame D, (see Fig. 7,) so as to bear against the paper slip and crease it asit passes through; or, when the character-wheel is used,as shown, it both creases the paper and marks a row-of characters thereon. Now, it will be seen that every time the paper slip is carried through the frame D D it will leave a continuous crease or a succession of characters, or both, on the paper, which indicates the number of passages of the slip through, it being obvious that the creases and characters will never exactly register or coincide. This paper slip bears on its face (see Fig. l3) a consecutive number, name of place the car was loaded, date of loading, initials of checking-clerk, routes over which the car is billed, bill-heading of parties using it, and destination of load, all of which are in plain view through the glass window.

In modifying my invention I may adapt it to hinged doors, as shown in Fig. 14, and a similar application of the locking and sealing devices may be made todouble-hinged doors.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is 1. The combination, with the locking devices for a car or other door, of a sealing-slip of paper or analogous material, a frame for imparting a step-by-step adjustment thereto, devices for making animpression thereon,and a single lever or handle for simultaneously effecting with one movement the operation of the lock, the adjustment of the paper slip, and the making of an impression thereon, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. The combination, with the car and cardoor, of a punch operated by the movement of the latter over the former, and a seal-lock having an adjustable paper slip, arranged as described, to be operated upon by the punch, as set forth.

3. The combination, with a car or other door, of the vertically-sliding cleat-plate I, having slots J and extending along the edge of the door, guide-pins K, attached to the door, the operating-lever E, and the hookbolt F and link H, for connecting the lever to the cleat-plate and adjusting it vertically to open or close the crack between the door and the side of the car, as described.

4. The combination, with the sliding cardoor and the car-body having lock ing-recesses, of the seal-lock, a cleat-plate extending along the;edge of the car-door and connected to the seal-lock forsimultaneous operation, andlocking-hooks connectedto said cleat-plate and engaging with the locking-rccesses of the car, as described.

5. The combination, with the sliding cardoor andthe car having locking-recesses, of the seal-lock having operating-lever E, with slot 6, hook-bolt F, with extension G passing through said slot, link H, and diagonally-slotted cleat-plate I, with guide-pins K,secured to the door, as and for the purpose described.

6. The combination of the sliding car-door carrying a seal-lock with operating-lever E, having slot e, the hook-bolt F, connected to said lever, and the car-body having lockingrecesses for the hook-bolt, so that the door cannot be either slid or pulled away from the side of the car,c1eat'plate I, and a vertical groove, L, for said cleat-plate, as and for the purpose described.

7. The seal-lock case having glass windows at dand protecting guard-ribs d, and with a hinged cap or cover at the top and an open lower end, in combination with a paper slip having anintermittent progressive movement through said case, as and for the purpose described. 4

8. The seal-lock case having an adjustable seal-strip within and one or more openings,f, for admitting a marking-tool thereto, said openings f being formed irregular in contour to insure the insertion of the tool right side up, and an elastic pad or backing, o, immediately behind the seal-strip in line with opening f, to allow different impressions to be made on the seal-strip by the stamp each time the door is fastened without leaving a permanent impression on the pad, and means for adjusting the seal-strip, as described.

9. The seal-lock ease having within it an adjustable paperslip frame with rack-teeth on its side, in combination with the pinion E a detent for the same, and an operating-lever, E, provided with a pawl operating on said pinion to adjust the paper-frame, as set forth.

10. The combination,with the seal-lock case and the adjustable paper slip, of the impression-lever D having arm h at one end and the impression-block Z at the other, the opposite impression-block, Z, the spring D, and the operating-lever E, with camsurface 1 operating on the arm it for the purpose of making an impression on the paper simultaneously with the operation of the lever, as described. 11. The spring-seated punching-arm D", having a punch-pin, q, in combination with the lock-case having perforated guide-bracket p and the paper slip, and the plate D with recess D attached to the car and adapted to operate the punch when the door is moved, as described.

12. The combination, with the plate D, of the impression-lever D and the spring-seated punching-arm D, and a single spring, D, lo cated between the same and adapted to operate in common with both, as and for the purpose described.

13. The combination,with the seal lock case having an adjustable and intermittently-traveling seal-strip, of'an automatically-revolved rowel or traversing wheel or disk operated by the seal-strip passing between it and plate D for creasing or marking the seal-strip, to indicate if the seal-strip has been removed after its application or during transit of car, as de scribed.

14. The combination of a seal-1oek case, as described,an intermittently-moving seal-stri p, an impression-block arranged in the ease to be applied each time the door is fastened, to impress number and initial of car or door on said strip, thereby making a continuous record on the strip, a punch, q, with means, as de scribed, for operating it by the opening of the door, and a stamping-tool having characters designating the station where it was used and adapted to be applied through an opening in the lock, substantially as and for the purpose described.

15. The combination of the outer plate, D, carrying the seal-strip-moving mechanism, the inner plate, D carrying the impressing and punching mechanism, the operating-lever E, and the rlght-angularly arranged hook-bolt F, connected to the operating-lever and fast ening into the car. substantially as described.

' GEORGE J. FERGUSON.

Witnesses:

SoLoN O. KnMoN, CHAS. A. Pnrrrr. 

